Jello
by ValaMagic
Summary: Just a short fic about Sam and Jack and their jellow tradition, sort of fluffy, spoilers for seasons 8
1. Chapter 1

_**A.N: **_This is just a short piece with a hint of SJ, please R&R__

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **__**Stargate**__** SG1**_

_**Spoilers: **_Solitudes, Message in a Bottle, In the Lin of Duty, Entity, Tangent, Ascension, Desperate Measures, Grace, Death Knell, New Order, Meridian, Threads.

_**Jello**_

It started in our first year together, after the gate malfunctioned and sent us to Antarctica. When I first awoke he was next to me, still unconscious. When he finally awoke, he threw a weak smile towards me, which I returned sealing an unspoken pact. Janet returned moments later carrying a large bowl of green jello and ice-cream, apologising because she knew I preferred blue.

"Colonel, good to see you're awake" The tiny doctor began to fuss over Jack as she had done to me earlier. He glared at her and complained as she checked him over thoroughly. I began to spoon large amounts of the jello and ice-cream into my mouth, glad to finally be eating real food again, although I wouldn't have said no to something a little warmer, after our icy escapade.

I watched as Janet examined Jack's broken ribs, successfully thwarting Jack's attempts to sit up and get out of bed. I laughed as he fell back to the bed, and wondered if he'd ever learn to just let himself heal. He glared over at me.

"Doc, how come Carter gets jello?" Jack complained loudly

"Glad to see you haven't lost your appetite Colonel" Janet bustled off and Jack continued to glare at me as I spooned green jello into my mouth. Jack groaned in pain as he changed position, and I took pity on him lifting myself slowly from my bed. As I sat up the room began to spin, slowly Jack came back into focus and I stood on shaky legs, taking only a few small steps before I stood over Jack, green jello in hand. For a moment he stared at me confused as I spooned a generous amount of the green goop onto my spoon.

"Open your mouth" I commanded gently. He did as asked and moaned in contentment as I slid the jello into his mouth. I took a mouthful myself, and shovelled the rest of my jello into his mouth. With the empty bowl in hand I made to go back to my own bed, however his hand on my thigh was warm through the thin hospital gown. The gesture was soothing, a testament to how our relationship had developed during the days under the ice. I pressed my hand against his cheek, noting how pale he still was.

His hand caressed my skin gently for a moment before he pulled away leaving my skin warm from his touch, though cold when exposed to the air again. I made my way back to my own bed only moments before Janet returned carrying two bowls of jello and two massive plates of something pretending to be lasagne.

"Ah, that's more like it" Jack groaned in delight digging into the hot lasagne, a relief after the cold of the ice. We ate in comfortable silence, reflecting on current events. There were two stargates on Earth, or so Daniel had told me earlier. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it, it explained everything, why I couldn't get a lock on the gate. Why hadn't i tried dialling another address, i berated myself.

"What you thinking 'bout?" Jack asked.

"How lucky we are" he nodded and didn't probe any further "And how stupid I am for not realising we were on Earth" I added in a whisper.

For a moment I wondered if he'd heard me, half hoping he hadn't. Slowly he turned towards me trying not to wince in pain as he leant on his broken ribs. "Sam, you're not stupid, and anyone who says you are, will have me to answer to" I nodded my thanks to him. "You couldn't have known we were on Earth. Besides, then we would've missed out on all that freezing to death, and the rescuing and we wouldn't be lying here now" I smiled at his attempt at humour.

After my blending with Jolinar, he was there, green jello and melted ice-cream in hand. He understood that I didn't want to talk and simply watched as I ate my jello, silently questioning if I was okay. I nodded affirmative, although I knew he didn't believe me. He took a forkful of chocolate cake from his own plate, and shoved it into his mouth before offering me some. I declined and continued with my jello. He returned every day with a bowl of green jello and ice-cream, until I was released from the infirmary four days later. For the next week he entered my lab once a day, blue jello in hand. Cementing the deal between us. Green jello was for injury, blue for recovery.

The next time it was my turn, bringing him green jello after being _possessed _by the aliens contained in the orb. It wasn't the first time we'd faced death, nor would it be the last, but seeing Jack pinned to the wall like that was terrifying. As we sat in the infirmary, swallowing mouthfuls of wobbly green jello I wanted to tell him how scared I'd been, but it was an unspoken agreement, we wouldn't mention whatever had happened.

The jello was our way of forgetting everything, it was the calm after the storm so to speak. The one constant in our crazy lives. It was there after the X-301 test flight, after I was possessed by the alien entity, and again when Orlin rendered me unconscious. After I was abducted by Adrian Conrad, there was green jello, after my time stranded aboard Prometheus, and again after I was hunted by the super soldier. My abduction by the replicators, bought me to the infirmary again (despite my protests that I was fine), and with a trip to the infirmary, there was Jack and more green jello.

Whenever there was pain there was jello. When Daniel died the jello was red, the colour of blood and for once we were not in the infirmary, but once again ensconced in my lab, surrounded by my 'doohickeys'. After my father died we ate red jello again. After Janet died there was red jello and green, red for Janet, green for Jack. We never spoke about the trials and tribulations that we faced while we ate jello. There was a time for talk, and there was a time for jello, that was our understanding, jello always came first, a precursor to the difficult conversations that should but did not always follow.

Where words failed, jello succeeded. A symbol of things that could never be. Our way of expressing ourselves without overstepping the boundaries, set down by air force regulations. Regardless of what else happened there was jello; red, blue and green.

As we sat in my lab, spoon in hand, images of my father in my head, Jack's hand came to rest on mine, gently rubbing the skin beneath his fingers. His arm came around my body and pulled me close. In his arms I cried, thinking over the words my father had said to me. "You can have everything you want", he had known, yet for the moment there was little I could do, but cherish my silent moments with Jack over jello and maybe one day there would be more.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N: I planned this as a one shot, however ALIMOO1971 asked about yellow jello and I decided to take up the suggestion and add this chapter.

I was working on my latest project in my lab when Jack appeared two bowls of yellow jello in hand. We'd never eaten yellow jello before and it felt strange. I searched his face as he placed one bowl in front of me and plunged a spoon into his own bowl. His face told me to eat my jello, talking would come later. He sat opposite me on the bench, until I finally let my spoon fall limply into my now empty bowl.

"I'm leaving Sam" I wasn't sure whether it was the use of my first name or the statement itself that caused more shock "I've been transferred to Washington" Briefly I wondered if that was far enough to no longer be considered the same chain of command, as if reading my mind he planted a soft kiss on my cheek. Maybe there was still hope. On his last day he was back in my lab, this time with blue jello, he knew it was my favourite "For old time's sake". We ate in silence as we always did and then he was gone.

He called me once or twice when he first got to Washington, everything felt different. We knew we would be walking a very fine line, maybe even crossing it. Despite that when he finally made it back to Colorado Springs to check on the SGC, we went out for dinner, just the two of us. The waiter looked at us strangely when Jack ordered two bowls of orange jello for dessert.

Three years later at our wedding, few could understand why jello appeared on the menu and why only blue and orange were available. We both ordered orange, coming back later for blue. It was our unspoken agreement. Blue was all purpose, orange for love, yellow for parting. When I was sent to Atlantis, there was yellow jello, and upon the announcement of my pregnancy with our first child, there was once again orange.

For every occasion in our lives there was jello. Gelatine and water, such a simple combination, which formed a bond thicker than any other between us. A tradition that has lasted even until now, on the day of our daughter's marriage, we share a bowl of jello, bright orange. Grace stares at us, not understanding but quickly turns back to her new husband with whom she shares a plate of chocolate cake. I wonder if she is starting a sweet tooth tradition of her own.

A.N. For those of you who didn't pick it up. Blue and orange are the only flavours available because they are the only flavours which signify happiness. Anyway please R&R and i'll return the favour


End file.
